Stay Away From Facebook On November 1!

Communication Shutdown, on Noveber 1, 2010

Social networking was created to allow people from around the world to communicate easily and freely with their friends and family over the Internet. For its great appeal when it comes to fun and communication, Facebook is nowadays the world’s leading social networking site, with over 500 million members and aspiring to reach 1 billion members in the following period of time. More importantly, Facebook is something a lot of people are having a hard time giving up, even if it’s just for a day or a week.

But even the most fond of Facebook amongst us should understand why it’s important to stay off Facebook on November 1. On that particular day, people worldwide will get the chance to better understand the ones who have social communication problems. An Australian nonprofit organization called AEIOU is planning to get a high number of people to shutdown their Facebook and Twitter accounts for just one day, on November 1, through a unique fund raising program which is called Communication ShutDown.

As the organization explains, it’s a global initiative to raise funds for autism groups in over 40 countries. If you join the program and shut down social networking for one day, you’ll help encourage a greater understanding of people with autism for whom social communication is a challenge. If you’re interested in joining, you’ll have to make a donation to receive a CHAPP (charity app) which will spread the word, give a shutdown badge to wear online and add your photo to a global mosaic of supporters, right next to the photos of the celebs who are also a part of the initiative.

So why social networking sites? Well, that’s because there’s a strong link between communication and autism. People with autism find it quite hard to communicate. So for one day, to support them, you get to decide to try and live “in their shoes” so to say. Well, at least on a smaller level.

Rachael Harris, a counsellor and supporter said: “Electing to shutdown social communication mirrors autistic silence. But it also draws attention to the isolation and intense loneliness experienced by those who are impeded from connecting socially with others. The CHAPP is a powerful way to create a sense of empathy towards those on the autism spectrum.”

So what happens if you chose to join the program? Your Facebook and Twitter accounts won’t be deactivated per say. Rather, on this occasion, they’ll simply show people that you’ve chosen to shut down through status updates, tweets and profile pictures. But if you decide throughout the day that you really can’t live without social networking, then it’s ok to log to your account. Unless you tweet or leave a comment on Facebook, no one will be able to tell that you’ve logged on in that particular day.

Let’s talk a bit about what the charity app actually does. It will connect to your Facebook and Twitter accounts. This means you get to show your support and spread the word to friends and followers alike. A Shutdown badge will be placed over your profile photo (it can be manually changed on Facebook) to further signal your commitment to stay away from socializing on November 1. Your Facebook photo, the one that’s probably replaced by the shutdown badge on the social site, will be added to the global mosaic of supporters mentioned before. On top of that, you’ll get to show your support through e-mail signatures, blog buttons or screensavers if you’re willing to do so.

Assuming you’re interested in the actual donation price, it’s not a lot. The CHAPP is received by anyone who makes the minimum donation (of $5, 5Eur etc, depending on where you’re living). If you’re wondering where the donations will go, be sure to see the video embedded above. So why is this whole program quite smart? First of all, it encourages people to experience what it’s like to cut all communication strings to other people. In the world we live in, let’s be honest, we’re starting to spend more time chatting with people on Facebook and Twitter rather than in real life. Secondly, social networking is great for spreading any kind of news. If you still remember the “I like it on” campaign for Breast Cancer awareness that was spread a short while ago through Facebook then you know what I mean. We may have a ton of fast services and TV, but apparently the fastest way for news to spread is through Twitter. So each and every person who joins this program will help spreading the word through social networking. This will obviously take a lot of pressure off the non-profit organization behind the program because rather than spending a ton of money on advertising the campaign they can direct all of the money they get from donations towards autism organizations around the world and people who actually need support. So if you think you can stand a day without Facebook and have $5 to spare, please do give a helping hand and support the Communication Shutdown program on November 1. Your help and understanding really does matter and you can make a difference.